UN Committee Adopts North Korea Human Rights Resolution for 16th Consecutive Year

Joining South Korea Consensus
North Korean Ambassador: "Fabrications by Human Trash"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The United Nations' North Korea human rights resolution was adopted by consensus (unanimous agreement) on the 18th (local time) at the Third Committee under the UN General Assembly. The resolution, adopted for 16 consecutive years since 2005, is expected to be processed at the upcoming UN General Assembly plenary session next month.

The Third Committee, responsible for human rights issues, held a meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York on the same day and passed the North Korea human rights resolution based on this content.

The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN explained, "Our government, under the basic stance of working with the international community to ensure the substantial improvement of the human rights of North Korean residents, participated in the consensus adoption of this year's resolution as it did last year."

The resolution, drafted by EU member states at the UN, largely reflected the wording of previous resolutions almost verbatim, and added concerns about the humanitarian crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, urging to "allow humanitarian organizations to operate in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic."

Regarding the situation on the Korean Peninsula, it added content emphasizing "the importance of dialogue and engagement, including inter-Korean dialogue," encouraging diplomatic efforts. It also encouraged countries maintaining dialogue with North Korea to continue supporting the establishment of lasting peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.

The resolution emphasized the urgency and importance of the separated families issue and called for the resumption of reunions, as well as including criticism of North Korea's human rights violations.

The resolution pointed out North Korea's ▲ torture, sexual violence, and arbitrary detention ▲ political prison camps ▲ systematic abductions ▲ treatment of repatriated defectors ▲ restrictions on freedom of religion, expression, and assembly, and stated that it "strongly condemns the systematic and widespread human rights violations that have been occurring from long ago until now in the strongest terms."

The resolution also recommended that the UN Security Council take appropriate measures such as referring the North Korean human rights situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and "considering additional sanctions targeting those most responsible." The phrase "those most responsible" is widely understood to target Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea. The call for ICC referral and punishment of those responsible has been included in the resolution for seven consecutive years since 2014.

Although the resolution did not mention the shooting incident of a government official that occurred in the West Sea last September, it only stated that it "welcomes the recent report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK."

Regarding this resolution, Kim Song, North Korea's ambassador to the UN, said, "We firmly oppose it," calling it "a political tactic unrelated to genuine promotion and protection of human rights," and claimed that "it is fabricated false information concocted by human scum defectors and pieced together by hostile forces." Ambassador Kim also claimed, "There are absolutely no human rights violations in North Korea as mentioned in the resolution."

The U.S. side argued, "By passing the resolution, the international community must send a clear message again that the North Korean regime must stop human rights violations," while China expressed the position of "opposing politicization, selective double standards, and the use of human rights to pressure other countries."